There and back again..

It’s been quiet on the blog this past week because I caught a ride down to Stokes Valley with a friend to go and spend some time with my Mum. Ma is 88 and in need of some company as well as help around the house and with life in general. I usually stay every second week with her and Mr T stays with her during the week as he works not far away in Wellington. In fact Mum is the main reason we came to live back in New Zealand last year and we are really glad we did.

The way we live is working out pretty well at the moment. I still struggle with the Black Slug depression and appreciate the week when I am in my own home and can hibernate with Toastie if I need to, or get some craft done if I have the energy and concentration. If I am still not feeling too good when I go down to Ma’s it’s ok because Ma is not a huge bundle of energy now either and we can sit and talk while I crochet and she knits and we watch silly comedies on T.V. together – or murder mysteries..

Last week I was most proud of myself because I finished two jobs that I have been meaning to do for years. Just before we went to live in the U.K. four years ago, my friend Vicky gave me an unusual old sewing basket. I loved it very much, especially because it was made from harakeke or New Zealand flax. This basket was woven in strips and sewn together with red thread.

Unfortunately most of the thread holding the wooden bottom on had come adrift as had one corner of the lid. Last Monday night I had a sudden rush of blood to the head and mended it.. Finally after four years..

The other project I finished the same night was from the Alabama Chanin Stitch book – The Over-the-Arm Pin Cushion which I started two years ago. I am over the moon to have finished it and be using it. Even my Mum liked it and now I am making one for her for Mothers Day next weekend.

Mended sewing basket with original spotted lining, so cute.Over-the-arm pin cushion in use

My other creation of the last fortnight was already mostly made for me. My friend Donna had given me an old, crocheted, stained glass, granny square lap blanket that was falling apart. In fact she gave it to me in bits as she had neither the time or energy to deal with it. I didn’t fancy a lap blanket and seeing that one of the pieces was scarf length and a decent width I thought a better use would be to fix the shredding seams, stitch a single crochet border around it and add a loopy chain edging on each end. Job done and I have a new, rather cheerful, favourite scarf.

Just in time for winter..

Ma’s feijoa trees are overflowing at the moment – it seems to have been a bumper year for the fruit. She has to rake them up every day and there are way more than any of us needed or wanted to preserve so we came up with this idea so as not to waste them..

It is better to light a flame thrower than to curse the darkness – Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett

Greetings :-)
Welcome to my meandering blog - ups and downs (hopefully more ups than downs), stuff I'm mad, sad, or glad about. A way to keep track of the rapidly diminishing days of this life.
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